Today, the world gets one step closer to solving the food crisis, thanks to the advances of Eden Green Technology, a next-generation vertical farming company that aims to democratize safe, nutritious produce and make a global impact worldwide.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 2.3 million people (or 2.2% of all U.S. households) live in a food desert where access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent. Eden Green aims to change that, using technology to scale regional solutions.

Eden Green grows produce in greenhouses using proprietary vine-like systems. Each plant is enclosed in a soil-free microclimate bubble that is free of pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals. Using natural sunlight rather than LED lights, Eden Green Technology’s produce is environmentally friendly and sustainable, with roughly one-eighth the cost of traditional greenhouse cooling costs. Even more impressive, Eden Green Technology expects to grow 10 to 15 harvests a year, as compared to an average of two harvests for conventional, soil-based farms and anticipates a crop loss of under 1% (the industry standard is 30%).

Through a unique partnership with Wal-Mart, Eden Green Technology is believed to be the first vertical farm with the scalability to meet the produce needs of existing regional food distribution systems. Eden Green Technology’s produce is planted, picked and packed at the same facility, and kept in an unbroken cold chain to the retailer, decreasing the chances of contamination. Whereas the typical head of lettuce is nine days old before it hits store shelves, Eden Green Technology’s produce is significantly shorter. Jaco Booyens, co-chair of Eden Green Technology, explains, “We pick our produce, package the same-day, and stamp the date when they are harvested on the package, so consumers know exactly how fresh their salads are. We also make it possible for our retail partners to put our produce on their shelves immediately after they’ve been harvested, in some cases that same day. No other company does that.”

Eden Green Technology’s first product line, Crisply, will debut in Texas Walmart stores in mid-July. Among its first offerings will be a Sweet Greens salad blend that is designed to be so tasty that it will not even need dressing. Other offerings include a Spicy Green blend and a Spring Green blend.

“Eden Green technology not only cracks the food code, it cracks the scale code,” said Jack Dweck, co-chairman and founder of Earthbound, which researches agricultural and fresh food technologies. “Its ability to scale tremendously well makes them viable economically, and that is key against any competition.”

Cofounders and brothers Jacques and Eugene van Buuren first conceived of Eden Green after spending time volunteering in their home country of South Africa. They had been passing out food in local villages when they noticed a five-year-old boy who had stuffed his pockets with food but wasn’t eating it. One of the organizers asked him why he wasn’t eating, and the boy explained that it wasn’t his day to eat; it was his sister’s, so he was saving the food for her.

This heart-stopping moment inspired the van Buuren brothers to use their engineering skills to help eliminate food deserts in the world. Eugene explains, “That little boy’s story is at the center of every decision we make. It drives us every day to make a difference in the world.” The brothers created their first greenhouse in South Africa, and their early successes encouraged them to scale their solution. Today, Eden Green is able to produce 1 million pounds of food on a single acre each year. Their first location in the south of Fort Worth will produce more than 120 varietals; seven additional strategic locations are in the works in the U.S. along with two additional international locations, including the Middle East and the Caribbean.

However, this is just the beginning. Eden Green intends to donate fresh produce regularly to food banks so they can be distributed to areas that have long been considered food deserts, said Trey Thomas who is the CEO of Eden Green Technologies. Eden Green will donate the first and best portion of every harvest to local communities in need. The North Texas Food Bank will be the first U.S. food bank recipient.

“Access to fresh produce is critical to the success of the North Texas Food Bank and to the health of the neighbors we serve,” said Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “The vision that we have laid out for our organization is to create a hunger-free, healthy North Texas; we know that it will require the support of innovative partners like Eden Green to turn this vision into a reality. We thank them for their generosity as part of the First Fruits initiative and can’t wait to provide this healthy food to our neighbors in need.”

Combining passion with purpose, Eden Green is poised to revolutionize commercial agriculture at a time when access to healthy foods is critical. As the van Buuren brothers often say, “We are not farming for the future. We are the future of farming.”

Amy Blankson explores the modern challenges of finding balance in the digital era. A graduate of Harvard and Yale School of Management, Blankson is a speaker/researcher/writer on happiness and technology. She is the bestselling author of The Future of Happiness and the awar...